POLITICAL ACTION.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLIV, Issue 1075, 23 July 1924, Page 9

POLITICAL ACTION.

“NECESSARY TO NEW ZEALAND FARAIER.” AIR POLSON’S DECLARATION. “I arn convinced that there can be no great progress in our organisation until we take a more active interest in political affairs” said the president, Air W. J. Poison) in his address at ibe annual Dominion conference of the New Zealand Farmers Union at Wellington yesterday. “Just now with tho prospect of a continuation of triangular control, wo have little hope of achieving our programme as we are at present situated. Members had an opportunity of observing last year how easily wo were foiled in our attempt to get legislation for tile establishment of an agricultural bank on tho Statute Book, although there was no question either of its soundness or its preferability to the slate advances system, and although a very considerable number of members of the llouso were in favour of it —simply because we had no representative of our own there to insist upon the introduction of the Bill. I have no intention of dwelling on an episode that must be painful to many of us but the flippant treatment we received at the hands of the Government must have convinced members that our influence counts for little with the powers that be. But agricultural banking is not the only subject we feel strongly about. We are out- for an immigration policy that will settle, the vacant lands of New Zealand. We want to see closer settlement so that every acre of this country will be made as highly reproductive as is consistent with our geographical situation. We are anxious to see taxation icduccd, partly through sound and economical administration, and partly through an increase in population that will mean more shoulders to carry it. We are determined to see this country developed a* it should be developed, and to set our faces against its being plunged annually further into debt because easy money is available. . .

The Farmers’ Union has fought consistently for the development of the country on sound business lines, because wo have realised that wo dare not stand still, but we have r.ot made the headway we should have made. We have succeeded certainly with marketing control, but wo niu-t see to it that the handicaps of taxation, vexatious social .legislation, shortage of labour, and loss of population through failure to insist on higher production do not rob us of the benefits of these great reform-, and possibly turn them against us is fraught, with many dangers. \\ c ice every interest organised, and with men in Parliament ready to champion its cause. We see a steady drift of population townwards, and of wealth also. All over the Empire, country men. realising this, are concentrating upon political action. I declare mv opinion here, that political action is ns necessary to (he New Zealand farmer as to any other. What form that action is to take is for you to say, but I am bound to inform you that none of the plans we have adopted in the past have been of the slightest use.”